Published: Wednesday, December 11, 2013 at 6:36 p.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, December 11, 2013 at 6:36 p.m.

From a Norman Rockwell wonderland to Mr. and Mrs. Claus, the Mills River Holiday Tour of Homes will offer attendees a taste of local Christmas traditions Sunday.

Facts

Holiday Tour of Homes

Mills River Holiday Tour of Homes will be held from 1-5 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $12 and are availible through Saturday at noon at Valley Ag, The Mills River Branch Library, WHKP Radio Station and Cup of Joe.

Friends of the Mills River Library is hosting the tour from 1 until 5 p.m., featuring seven homes, bed and breakfasts and Mills River Wealth Management.

Acorn Bed and Breakfast owner Gene Wyatt said being a part of the tour makes him feel like a part of the community and not just a resident.

“It's the excitement of letting people see my enjoyment, I guess, because I am quite into the holidays,” Wyatt said. “I really just love Christmas.”

Wyatt begins decorating for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving and said he's very traditional in that sense.

“I have a total of 20 trees that are either outside or sitting around,” he said. “I worked for a cruise line and I was to do all of the purchasing for Christmas, so I got into the spirit down in Florida, and then when I moved up here, I started with one tree.”

Once the bed and breakfast opened six years ago, Wyatt decided he needed a tree for every room. There is now a Disney tree, a Carolina tree, garden tree and many more.

“It's just a happy time of the season for me, bringing back memories of my family and how we had our Christmas, and it was a family affair, decorating together and having a tree together,” Wyatt said. “The whole meaning of Christmas with the decorations and the lights — I am still sort of a kid there.”

The Brittain home tour has been passed down through four generations of the Brittian family.

“The house was built in 1840 and it was actually built by two of the Johnson brothers. Then in the 20s it became the Bittain house,” owner Betty Donoho said. “We celebrate all of the holidays there as a family and just try to keep it active and alive.”

Donoho said she can remember as a young child in 1942 when the family first installed an indoor bathroom, electricity and running water.

“I mean, we were really mountain people; we had no modern convince when I was growing up,” Donoho said. “By the time I was 8 or 9, I remember when we got the hot-water heater put in behind the stove ... we thought we were really uptown.”

When Donoho was growing up, her father would dress up as Santa Claus for the holidays. To keep the tradition alive, men in the family have been dressing up for the last 30 years.

This year, Joe and Linda Brittain will be dressed as Mr. and Mrs. Claus to welcome those on the holiday tour to the Brittain family home.

<p>From a Norman Rockwell wonderland to Mr. and Mrs. Claus, the Mills River Holiday Tour of Homes will offer attendees a taste of local Christmas traditions Sunday. </p><p>Friends of the Mills River Library is hosting the tour from 1 until 5 p.m., featuring seven homes, bed and breakfasts and Mills River Wealth Management. </p><p>Acorn Bed and Breakfast owner Gene Wyatt said being a part of the tour makes him feel like a part of the community and not just a resident.</p><p>“It's the excitement of letting people see my enjoyment, I guess, because I am quite into the holidays,” Wyatt said. “I really just love Christmas.”</p><p>Wyatt begins decorating for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving and said he's very traditional in that sense. </p><p>“I have a total of 20 trees that are either outside or sitting around,” he said. “I worked for a cruise line and I was to do all of the purchasing for Christmas, so I got into the spirit down in Florida, and then when I moved up here, I started with one tree.”</p><p>Once the bed and breakfast opened six years ago, Wyatt decided he needed a tree for every room. There is now a Disney tree, a Carolina tree, garden tree and many more. </p><p>“It's just a happy time of the season for me, bringing back memories of my family and how we had our Christmas, and it was a family affair, decorating together and having a tree together,” Wyatt said. “The whole meaning of Christmas with the decorations and the lights — I am still sort of a kid there.”</p><p>The Brittain home tour has been passed down through four generations of the Brittian family.</p><p>“The house was built in 1840 and it was actually built by two of the Johnson brothers. Then in the 20s it became the Bittain house,” owner Betty Donoho said. “We celebrate all of the holidays there as a family and just try to keep it active and alive.”</p><p>Donoho said she can remember as a young child in 1942 when the family first installed an indoor bathroom, electricity and running water. </p><p>“I mean, we were really mountain people; we had no modern convince when I was growing up,” Donoho said. “By the time I was 8 or 9, I remember when we got the hot-water heater put in behind the stove ... we thought we were really uptown.”</p><p>When Donoho was growing up, her father would dress up as Santa Claus for the holidays. To keep the tradition alive, men in the family have been dressing up for the last 30 years.</p><p>This year, Joe and Linda Brittain will be dressed as Mr. and Mrs. Claus to welcome those on the holiday tour to the Brittain family home.</p><p><b>Reach Bindewald at 694-7890 or renee.bindewald@blueridgenow.com.</b></p>